Civil organizations from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Panama sign declaration to promote ethical recruitment of migrant workers
June 2nd – SAN JOSÉ, COSTA RICA. Civil society organizations from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama and the United States that provide human rights assistance and support to migrant workers signed a document consisting of 15 agreements to promote the principles of ethical recruitment. This declaration affirms their commitment to the migrant worker population and their rights in countries of origin, transit and destination. (Read the document in Spanish here).
The declaration was made in the framework of the specialized virtual seminar entitled "The Role of Civil Society Organizations in the Implementation of Ethical Recruitment of Migrant Workers", organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and held in May 2023. Participants shared experiences and tools that strengthen organizations in this issue, during 16 hours of training distributed in 4 sessions.
This regional meeting defined several agreements referred to the creation of a permanent space for exchange between the IOM and the signatory organizations, as well as permanent spaces for discussion and coordination between governments and civil society. Other key agreements seek to consolidate a network for monitoring and oversight of ethical recruitment practices, as well as the adoption of various measures to strengthen the exchange of knowledge, experiences and good practices.
"In destination countries, we hear from the workers about the fulfillment of their rights and sometimes, if they wish to settle, this gives us relevant information to influence a commitment between governments, recruiters and companies to comply and strengthen safe, regular and orderly migration," said Fidelina Mena, from the Regional Network of Civil Organizations for Migration.
"Empowering civil society organizations that advocate for the human and labor rights of migrants contributes to ethical intra-regional and international recruitment. It is also important for them to be able to monitor international recruitment practices and grievance mechanisms in countries of origin and destination," said Andrea Dabizzi, coordinator of the IOM's Western Hemisphere Program (WHP).
This activity is aligned with the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration goals 5 and 6. It also adresses the commitments of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection and it was made possible through funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and support from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM).
For more information on this topic, please consult the regional study "Recruitment Practices of Migrant Workers in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico" (available in Spanish) or contact Natalia Alvarez, Labor Migration Specialist of the Western Hemisphere Program, at nalvarez@iom.int